I want to keep having these conversations. The older I get, the more certain I am that women deserve spaces where we can speak plainly about our bodies and our lives. No whispering. No apologizing. No withholding.

‘Coming up for Air’, marks the time between my former life and my current one as an artist. When I left my career, there was a long moment between deciding to, and leaving. It was glorious knowing a new world was coming but I was unsure of what that actually meant. I simply knew that it felt like I could finally breathe.

The Painted Parts An Invitation Thinking about the ways our mind settles on the body, our own body, we all sit with those tightly wrapped up ideas that we have (or have been given) through the course of our life. For many, the thought is how our bodies have disappointed us somehow, that they are too much, too little, too soft, too hard, too curved, too square, too stretched, too old, too saggy, too sick and too tired. Too something. My name is Anne Pollard James. I am a fi

Back in December, I was juried into a show curated by the National Association of Women Artists at the Sasse Museum in Pomona, California. I had painted 'She moves in Blue' and it seemed pretty perfect to be in a show called Pacific Influence. The week before Christmas I had her shipped to California. Me, Christine, Brad + David at the Sasse Museum of Art in Pomona with 'She Moves In Blue'. I had never been to Los Angeles, never been in a museum show, never been to the Getty

Birds. I had a really moving experience last year, and I haven’t written about it until now . That’s sort of how it goes for me. It’s hard to tell myself to sit down and write. I do not like being told what to do, even when it’s me doing the telling. Jessica Bond offered a creative meditation afternoon one day at Carson House, and it remains one of the most incredible gifts I’ve been given. It was a guided meditation for creativity. Fifteen minutes total, limited to a small g

Today was incredible. This morning we filmed an interview that feels like the first fully realized expression of what The Delight Project is meant to be. Not only a series of paintings or photographs, but a documented experience of a woman being witnessed. and then reflecting on what it meant to be seen. Dr. Autumn Brown interviewing KM at Carson House in front of my painting. Kathleen M. was interviewed by Dr. Autumn Brown, Ph. D., and the conversation was filmed and recorde

A blog about the Delight Project and my decision to go big and go for a Guggenheim Fellowship,

Earlier this year, I was sitting in a coffee shop in Tulsa with a friend when I noticed a woman across the room. I saw her from behind. Her hair was gathered into a loose bun at the nape of her neck and it was a glorious silver-gray. Her hair was magnificent, but it was the way she occupied space that really caught my attention. There was something really powerful in her strance. Shades of Grey found at Shades of Brown . I walked over, intending to introduce myself and offer

September 16, I submitted my application for a Guggenheim Fellowship for my work ‘The Delight Project’. Last week I was invited to submit Work samples in support of that (!!!) and yesterday, I did it. They asked for 20 pieces, within the last five years, in chronological order most recent on. Well, I’ve only been painting for five years and so deciding which works were reflective of my message and also technical skills was a really interesting experience. Some of the works I

A few months ago, I was contacted out of the blue by a photographer of St. Louis. He’s got a project called ‘cameras across the country’ and he goes to every state and photographs artist in their studio. A Couple days before we were scheduled for the shoot we chatted over the phone about what the look of the day would be. I assumed I was one of a couple of subjects. I asked who else who was shooting in Tulsa and he said no one. He was flying into town just to shoot me.I sudd

Friends, I applied for a Guggenheim Fellowship! And yesterday, I got an email that I made it to the next step. What a feeling🖤 On September 16, I clicked 'Submit' on my full application for a Guggenheim Fellowship. The project I put forward is called The Delight Project: Art & Archive. It’s a body of work about reclamation, truth, and joy as resistance. Ten monumentally scaled portraits of Oklahoma women, each paired with her voice, story, and photograph. Every participant

Once upon a time in 2022, I was invited by Rachel Rose Dazey and Cat Cox to a Hidden Gem Dinner they hosted at Dillon Rose. The idea was...

This spring, I was invited to speak about my work on The Delight Project . The Delight Project: No. 5 The invitation came from Helen Opper, who juried the show at the Paseo Arts Center in Oklahoma City. My piece, The Delight Project; No 5 , was included. She asked if I’d be part of an artist talk alongside Paige Nyugen and Tony Tiger. It was a fast yes. This would be the first time I’d speak publicly about my work on this project, which has occupied so much of my mind for th

I just got back from the most extraordinary long weekend in New York, and I’m still feeling glowy. Two of my paintings were included in a juried exhibition called Surface at The Gallery at Yellow Studio , part of Upstate Art Weekend in the Hudson Valley. The show was juried by the National Association of Women Artists , and it meant a lot to be chosen. I've been intentionally working toward sharing my work beyond Oklahoma, and this felt like one of those moments where the d

Oh, the Power of Women and the Power of Color: My Journey in Oaxaca ===================================================================== Both were on audacious display during my time in Oaxaca, Mexico, with Gozo Writers. A Connection Through Poetry I have this friend called Nicole Callihan . She’s a powerful poet, an opener of doors, and a connector of women. Through her, I’ve been introduced to a world of poets and writers where, somehow, ’ve found a home. We were on the ph

This is fun! I love being included in this group of such remarkable women. Each one of these artists is guided by an authentic pursuit of...

I know, it's true! Last year, I was asked to teach a high school art class. Never in a million years would I have thought, ‘Oh, I think I...

What is Carson House? Well, first, it's place.🩷 My name is Anne Pollard James and I am working artist in Tulsa— my studio is located on the Carson House property. As a largely self/community taught artist, I am interested in cultivating a creative space that helps support and uplift other creative women in Tulsa within this community space. It is my desire to make Carson House a safe, friendly, warm and welcoming space for artists and creatives to nurture each other’s practi

I am excited to share that my painting, ‘The Delight Project//No. 5’, is off to New York to be included in a group show at the Vandy Gallery

I am beyond proud to share that I was accepted into the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) as a full juried Signature Member. 🩷